


Goodnight, Thomas

by ShakeThatCocktail



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Basically, Carrying, Cute, F/M, Ficlet, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Goodnight Kiss, Hair Brushing, Living Together, Teen Romance, Teresa Who?, The Death Cure, The Death Cure Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-16 12:12:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13636062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShakeThatCocktail/pseuds/ShakeThatCocktail
Summary: Thomas catches Brenda sleeping on the job, but he doesn't blame her. Like any good "friend", he carries her to bed





	Goodnight, Thomas

**Author's Note:**

> More based on the movie since I haven't read the book in forever, and I have some unresolved feelings.
> 
> Enjoy and, as always: kudoses, comments and bookmarks welcome :) xxx

Thomas had been so engrossed in his map that he hadn't noticed Brenda had fallen asleep at the table until she muttered under her breath. Drawing his eyes from the faded wavy lines on the grimy paper, he saw that she'd rested her head on her crossed arms, head turned away from him. He let his eyes drift over her hair, the kinks and waves that had appeared as her pixie cut grew all the way down to her chin as they were on the run. She'd almost cut it all off again, for ease she'd said, but a few of the girls had talked her out of it, telling her how shiny it was and how it made her eyes look darker. With a blush, she'd consented, and allowed Sonya to practise braiding on her in their downtime. Brenda would never admit it, but she liked how pretty she thought the braids made her look, how Thomas would sometimes teasingly flick the ends of them as he walked past her.

Thomas hadn't even realised his arm had reached out and his fingers were gently carding through Brenda's dark hair. It was softer than he'd imagined, and he tried to be gentle so he wouldn't pull on any knots and any dirt that might've got stuck during the day. Brenda's shoulders sagged, a content sigh escaping her body. "What're you doing?" she murmured, and Thomas pulled his hand back as if he'd been burned. She slowly turned her head to face him, bright brown eyes glinting up at him in the low orange light of the map room.

"I uhh..." Thomas floundered, trying to come up with an excuse with why he had his hands in her hair. "I like it. Your hair. I think it's..." He struggled to find the right word. 'Nice' was too cheap, 'beautiful' was too much. "...cute." His insides cringed. Brenda raised an eyebrow, blinking slowly at him.

"Cute?" she parroted, and Thomas nodded dumbly, eyes fixed on Brenda's as she stared up at him. He looked like a deer in headlights. After a few agonising seconds, she chuckled lightly, turning her face away from him and adjusting her head on her arms. "You're cute," she mumbled, speech already slurred as she began to fall asleep again. Thomas' lips twitched into a half-smile as he turned back to the maps. A light breeze blew through the empty windows, rustling the corners of the flimsy maps and causing Brenda to shiver in her sleep. Life was chillier by the sea, but it was a small price to pay for their attempt at freedom. Plus, there was enough blankets and jackets to go around. In their sprawling compound they'd even found some electric heaters, and they'd been scattered around to try and ward off the cold at night when the sea breeze whistled through the buildings.

"C'mon, you can't sleep here," Thomas said quietly to the sleeping girl. He received a quiet hum in response. Making sure to weight down all the maps so they didn't blow off the table during the night, Thomas carefully scooped Brenda up, one arm under her knees, the other around her back. She snuggled into his warm, broad chest, arms winding around his neck. With his hands full, he had to use his shoulder to turn the main light off as they moved towards the door, leaving the map room in darkness except for a tiny lamp in the corner. The bare corridors were dark, lit only by the light of the moon and the occasional splash of gold from the braziers those on night watch used to keep warm. They were empty, too, everyone having retired for an hour already at least. Snores came from Minho and Frypan's room as they walked past. The original Gladers all slept down one corridor. As much as they all loved having their own rooms, being too far apart made them feel insecure. They needed to keep close.

Thomas nodded his head in greeting to Jorge as he appeared around a corner. "Everything ok outside?" he asked quietly, and Jorge nodded, rubbing his hands together to try and get some warmth.

"Nice and quiet, just the way we like it," he answered, and Thomas felt a small weight lift off his shoulders. "Is she ok?" Jorge's eyes were trained on the girl in Thomas' arms.

"She fell asleep in the map room. Thought I'd put her to bed," Thomas said, and Jorge looked at Brenda with affection, reaching out to stroke her head.

"Let me take her, _hermano_. You look like you could use some sleep too," he suggested, noticing the dark circles under Thomas' eyes. But Brenda stirred in her sleep, arms tightening around the runner.

"No, Thomas," she murmured, disagreeing with Jorge. The ex-smuggler raised an eyebrow at Thomas, and Thomas hoped Jorge couldn't see the colour in his cheeks in the dark.

"Better listen to the lady," Jorge consented, clapping Thomas twice on the arm. "See you in the morning."

Thomas watched Jorge leave over his shoulder before adjusting Brenda in his arms, being careful not to butt his chin with the top of her head. "You wanna give away how much you like me, huh?" he teased, thinking she had gone back to sleep. He knew Brenda felt something- she was always closest to him, and they'd been through too much for there to be nothing. He wasn't sure if the something he felt _was_ something, but something was there. He'd been intrigued ever since she'd first looked him over back at Jorge's old warehouse. Unseen by him, the girl smiled faintly into the soft fabric of his t-shirt.

He didn't bother turning on Brenda's light as he walked them into her room. The moonlight coming from the corridor gave him just enough light to see where her bed was, and he gently placed her down on the soft blanket. He had to stifle a laugh when her arms wouldn't untangle themselves from his neck. "Bren...Bren, you gotta let me go," he coaxed, and his shoulders heaved in silent laughter at the angry groan that came from deep in Brenda's chest.

"Stop that," she grumbled at him. "I don't like it."

Thomas tried his best to stop his shoulders from shaking. "I'm only doing it 'cuz you won't let go," he explained, still trying not to laugh, and with a huff her arms slid down his shoulders and landed with a thump on the bed. The fabric sliding against his neck left goosebumps in its wake. "You want me to put your heater on?" Brenda nodded, a sleepy smile on her lips. As Thomas turned away, his eyes fell on the vivid sea green vials on the table next to Brenda's bed. She had enough to last her a while. In the dark room, with just the two of them, it was the only reminder of the cruel world beyond their walls. He fumbled in the darkness for the heater switch, and winced at the bright glow from the coils. When he turned back around, Brenda was sitting up on the edge of her bed, blinking hard as her eyes adjusted to the low light. "You were pretty much asleep."

"Not tired anymore, I guess," Brenda replied, shrugging nonchalantly, but an unexpected yawn escaped her. It almost propelled back onto the bed with its force. Thomas chuckled as he walked back to her, leaning down to cup the back of her neck. Brenda's skin hummed under the gentle press of his lips to her forehead. As he pulled away, she leaned forward slightly, chasing the sensation.

"Get some rest," Thomas said softly, giving Brenda a quirk of his lips before moving towards the door.

"Thomas, wait!"

Thomas turned around to find Brenda had followed him to the door. Half in shadow, her eyes were both dark, but shone. He began to feel a strange sense of deja vu- the way she looked up at him, lips slightly parted in the gloom, eyes wide- in the pit of his stomach. He watched her eyes scan him, flickering from his eyes to his lips to his moles, and then back to his lips. His hand did it again, coming up to twirl a lock of hair around his finger, total captivated.

Brenda didn't even allow her doubts to get a word in edgeways before she reached up on her tiptoes to press her lips against Thomas'. Her arms rewound themselves are his neck, and she sighed through her nose in pleasure as she felt Thomas return the kiss. His large hand slid further into her hair. His lips were warm and slightly spicy, the remnants of Frypan's stewed dinner, and Brenda moaned quietly when Thomas moved his hands, tilting her head so he could deepen the kiss. When he pulled back slightly for air, but keeping close, Brenda pulled back further. _Can't give him everything now_ she thought. Thomas tried to move back in, but Brenda placed a hand on his chest with a chuckle. "Goodnight, Thomas," she said, looking him in the eyes with a soft smile. Her heart beat faster at the dumbstruck look on his face, his dropped bottom lip and cloudy eyes. It was until she gave him a little push that he seemed to pull out of his daze and awkwardly scratched at the back of his neck. He felt hot all over, but he wasn't sure if that was because of the kiss or the heater, and his lips buzzed pleasantly. The fog was still clearing from his brain when Brenda repeated herself.

"Goodnight, Thomas." She was finding it hard not to laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, umm," Thomas stuttered, trying to remember how to speak. "G-goodnight...Brenda."

The girl watched turn slowly away from her, still scratching at his neck as he walked out of the doorway. He looked back over his shoulder after a few steps, and in the low light Brenda saw a smile tug at the corner of his lips. She gave him a tiny wave as he disappeared behind the wall, before falling onto her bed with a satisfied smile.


End file.
